PIEROSARA

Not much is known about the origins of the ancient site, whose name evolved from the Latin Castrum Petrosum and later from Castello or Castel Petrosum. Given its strategic position atop a hill overlooking the two gorges of Frasassi and Gola della Rossa, from where it was easy to monitor the valleys of the Sentino and the Esino rivers, one possibility is that it was the inhabitants of Tuficum, one of the four Roman cities of the upper Esino valley, who built the first defensive and lookout structures.

After Roman colonisation and the dark period of Barbarian invasions, the Lombards constituted the Duchy of Spoleto. The walled town (castrum) of Pierosara was a key centre along its border. The first known record of it is an imperial charter issued by Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, dated 3 February 981, granting the castrum feudal sovereignty over an expanse of surrounding territory including Fabriano. After their conversion to Christianity, the Lombard feudal lords encouraged the settlement of Benedictines and the development of abbeys, even before the year 1000. The feudal lords of ancient Pierosara, who followed Lombard law until the 12th century, relied on the Church, specifically the abbots of San Vittore alle Chiuse. This allowed them to stay independent and retain privileges up to the period of communal Italy. No longer able to resist the now flourishing comune of Fabriano, the abbey of San Vittore agreed to place Pierosara under the city’s dominion in 1212, for the sake of peaceful coexistence. Clearly interested Pierosara’s strategic position, Fabriano finally bought the castrum in 1298 and, in the following centuries, carefully conserved the walls, the feudal lords’ palatium, and the tower.

The subsequent decline in the comune’s power significantly weakened its social and economic structure. Yet Pierosara remained independent until the start of the Kingdom of Italy. Proof of this is the fact that the town continued to use its own seal: a Latin cross above a horizontal line and below it the inscribed initials S.P.S. – Sebastianus Patronus Sanctus. The statutes of Pierosara were ratified every three years by the Fabriano magistracy and the town was governed by the Capoquattro, a body of four men selected by draw every two months.

The legend goes that the Count of Rovellone, feudal lord of Rotorscio Castle, met a girl named Sara who lived in Castel Petroso. Charmed by the young woman’s beauty, he fell in love with her. But as Sara was betrothed to Piero, another townsman, Rovellone resolved to kidnap her. So, one night, the feudal lord entered the town to put his plan into action. Noticing that something was afoot, the townspeople locked all the entry gates to prevent the worst from happening and launched a fierce battle against the knights in Count Rovellone’s entourage. As the battle raged and the count could see the inevitability of his surrender, he killed the beautiful Sara as he held her in his arms. Piero rushed at the murderer. Brandishing an axe, the count struck the unlucky young man, who fell dying near his beloved. He embraced her for the final time, then breathed his last beside her. In memory of this sad event, from that day on, Castel Petroso became Pierosara.